Hearing in federal child porn case delayed

Sunday

Mar 9, 2014 at 11:00 AM

By Daily Telegram staff

A second adjournment was granted Friday in federal court for an Adrian man’s preliminary examination on child pornography charges.

The examination for Brian Earl Schwanke was rescheduled for May 2 in United States District Court in Detroit. He was charged in December with possession and distribution of child pornography after an investigation that started with an undercover police officer in Australia.

An adjournment was ordered after a written agreement was submitted Friday to a delay in the hearing. The examination was originally scheduled for Jan. 3 when it was adjourned to March 7.

“This extension of time is necessary to allow the parties to investigate the facts of the case further and engage in plea negotiations,” Friday’s agreement stated. “Defendant concurs in this request and agrees that it is in his best interests.”

The stipulation was signed by Schwanke’s appointed defender, Stacey Studniki, and assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Woodward.Schwanke remains free on a $10,000 unsecured bond set after his arrest in December.An investigation of the Adrian man was started after an undercover police officer in Australia reported an email conversation with someone using the email address, “hornypastor@outlook.com.”

The image of an underaged naked girl was sent during the conversation, the officer reported.

A search warrant was executed at Schwanke’s Adrian home on Aug. 14, according to an affidavit filed by Special Agent Daniel Ghareeb of the Homeland Security Investigations office in Detroit. Schwanke’s computers were seized and 34 videos and two images of child pornography were found on them, he stated.

A forensic examination of the computers later found that 18 videos and 254 images of child pornography had been emailed from them to other Internet users.

“The contents of almost every email containing child pornography included conversations about child pornography and/or the sexual abuse of children,” Ghareeb stated.

He also said Schwanke told investigators in August that he had been looking at child pornography for the past 10 years.

Bond conditions set in December require Schwanke to participate in sex offender assessment and treatment. He was also ordered to not have contact with minor children and to not have access to sexually graphic material.